Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-01-06

that those who like things he likes are
sensible and entertaining. 1t is very
human trait, and Tom Lyon is no excep-
ton to the rule.
Last week among the letters addressed
| to the above came one from small boy,
and, as his mind seems to tend in the
way of natural history, he must certainly
be a very nice boy. His letter runs as
follows
Mr.. Tom LYoN-Dear Sir: There was
question brought up by our teacher
and myself about a wo0dchuck and q
ground hog. Teacher said that a wood
chuck was of the feathered tribe, and the
grounding was an animal. / am sure &
ground-hog is not a wOodchuck, having
caught thirteen in one summer on our
own farm in Beaver county; but [ am not
sure what woodchuck is, and would like
very much if you would decide this cues
sion for me in Sundays Dispatch.
Please classify each, I like Tom Lyons
corner the best of all IN the Sunday is
sue of the Dispatch. Your little friend,
ia. @.
L SIN very sorry to give a decision
against my hitler friend, but the teacher
is right. Woodchuck and grounding
are two names for the same animal. My
boy thinks they cannot be the same be-
cause he caught thirteen ground-hogs.
Now old fellow if you had also caught a
few woodchucks and found them to be
different, then you would be O. K, but,
you see, you only caught one side OF the
argument. It is quite likely that my lit
tie friend is confused about the wood
chuck, because there are birds which
have similar names-the woodcock and
wood pecker. A woodcock is game bird
belonging to the snipe family, and every
body knows what woOdpecker is. New
er mind, though, my boy, you show an in
| quiring mind, and if you study the ami
mails and birds, insects, and worms, you
will not only find it of great interest
some day, but will know twice as much
about the animal kingdom as your teach
er does-then you may catch the teacher
! In a mistake.
! The grOund-hog is rather an interest
| ing beast, anyhow. The sciuridoe Or
shadow tails, so called probably because
| they curl their tails over their backs and
sit in it's shadow. Although belonging
to this family the ground hog can not
cast much Of shadow with its short
tail. The name of the animals immed-
late genus is marmot, and this particular
one is known to science as arctomus
| modax. The first name means bear
mouse, both On account of the sha pc of
the breast and the peculiar bear-like
shape of it's skull. The marmOts are
not a numerous tribe, as only eight
| species have been found. In our country
the best known are the ground hog and
the prairie dog. The one is not hog
any more than is the other a dog, but it
is so called because the woodchuck digs
or roots in the ground and the prairie
dog has a little sharp bark, somewhat re-
sembling dogs.
| Probably none of our common animals
| is as little known as the WOOdchuck. The
reason that it is crepuscular in it's habits
that is, it comes out of it's burrow most
ly during twilight, either early morning
or evening. They are much better known
to the owls, bats, and other prOwlers
than TO the daylight folks. Besides the y
are not seen through the winter, because
of their habit of alternating. They dig
their holes near rocks or stumps, mostly
in the woods, having it ascending first
to keep out the water, then it goes TO a
considerable depth, with different com
partments, in which they store up food.
There is usually more than one entrance
but as winter comes they close up the
openings, and retire to lie in q dormant
state until warm weather.
Like most OF our commoner animals,
the woOdchuck has a legend connected
with its habits. 1t is most solemnly as
serted, and firmly believed that on the
I'd day Of February the ground hog
shakes off his Iethargic sleep and sallies
forth to take an observation of the con-
dition Of the weather. If the sun is
shining so that he sees his shadow, he
at once retires to his hole and remains
there for six weeks because his private
signal service notifies him that there are
to be six weeks more of cold weather; on
the contrary, if it is cloudy he stays out,
because winter is then at an end. So it
comes that Feb. 2 is called Ground Hog
day.
In Germany there is a similar proverb-
ial expression. They say that the badger
peeps out of his hole on Candlemas day
! Feb. ~ and if he finds snow, walks
abroad, but if the sun is shining draws
! back into his hole" It is not improbable, -
says writer, ''that these notions, like
the festival of Candlemas itself, is deriv-
ed from pagan times, and have existed
! since the very infancy of our race"
| A popular old Scotch rhyme has it
thus:
If Candemas day be drv and fair,
The half O'wInters to cone and MAR:
If Csn6lemas day b. wet ann foul
Ire half O'winter game as Yule.
GrOund-hOgs are social in their habits.
and while they do not congregate in such
numbers as their brothers, the prairie
dogs, yet several burrows are always
near each other. Their range is from the
Hudson bay on the north to South Caro-
lima, and while they are never found
near the sea-coast range as far west as
the Rocky mountains. They have fam
lilies consisting of from four to five little
ones, and have but one brood In each
year.
There is another animal called ground
hog. or sometimes eerth-hog. 1t lives in
South America. and is an ant-eater. This
grounding is called aara vark (pronounc-
ed the best way you CAM. 1t is armed
with very strong claws, with which it tears
down the aunt-hills, and sweeps dozens of
them in its nav by means of its long,
slim, sticky tongue. 1t is about five feet
long, covered with coarse hair, and digs
deep holes in the ground. 1t is said to
dig faster than man can follow with a
spade.
The abandoned holes of these animals